Author Topic: Hurranium mk238C + Rockets = Happy fool (Read 1589 times)

VooDoo · « **Reply #15 on:** July 07, 2004, 12:03:20 AM »

Any info bout rockets accuracy and efficiency ? Something like these british 20mm and 40mm tests ?

http://www.lanpartyworld.com/smallwoy/20mmAPvsPz1.JPG

hubsonfire · « **Reply #16 on:** July 07, 2004, 12:48:19 AM »

I'm midflight, so this will be short. I found 2 rocket specs listed, very vague. 25 pound AP warhead, 60 pound HE warhead. Same rockets used by Typhoons, RPS I think is what the RAF called it. Still trying to find some decent range/lethality figures for it, but it'd prolly be better if someone with some ww2 a/c books can post. Also there used to be a site linked to the bbs that had all sorts of info regarding armaments of ww2, wish i could find it. Anyone?

Cheers!

Angus · « **Reply #17 on:** July 07, 2004, 09:15:32 AM »

There were actually some cannon armed Hurries around in the BoB.....

Guppy35 · « **Reply #18 on:** July 07, 2004, 01:48:21 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Angus
There were actually some cannon armed Hurries around in the BoB.....

That could be a little misleading as it appears there was one Hurricane tested with cannon in August-September 1940 that flew roughly 10 operations.

Hurricane V7360 bounced between 151 and 56 Squadrons between August 19 and September 13, 1940

The Hurri IIC with the 4 cannon wing didn't get into service until 1941

Dan/Slack

Angus · « **Reply #19 on:** July 07, 2004, 02:05:06 PM »

The one I read off was in Victor Beamishe's Wing.
Same one?
Will dig up more on it if you like.

hubsonfire · « **Reply #20 on:** July 07, 2004, 02:08:22 PM »

Any luck on the RPS info? I'd like to know a bit more about them, their usefulness, etc.

btw Guppy, great pics, thanks!

Guppy35 · « **Reply #21 on:** July 07, 2004, 02:30:12 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Angus
The one I read off was in Victor Beamishe's Wing.
Same one?
Will dig up more on it if you like.

That's the same kite. Beamish was Wing Commander of the Northweald Sector. His squadrons were 56 and 151 which were the two that shared the trials of that particular Hurricane in August-September 1940

Dan/Slack

Guppy35 · « **Reply #22 on:** July 08, 2004, 11:01:11 PM »

Found some more photos of Hurri IVs with rockets. Apparently 6 Squadron was THE ground attack squadron in Hurri IVs and set the standard for others. There were a total of 11 Squadrons that flew the Hurri IV in ground attack.

6 Squadron finished the war in Hurricane IVs and in fact flew them for 17 months after the war ended, flying the last Hurricane sortie in front line service before the Hurricane was withdrawn on 15 January 1947.

6 Squadron devised their own tactics for both night and day operations.

The pilots found that a 15 degree dive with the aircraft at exactly 225 knots was required. Release point for the 60 pound rockets was300-400 yards from the target and 200 yards when using the 25 pound rocket for night attacks, preferrably in moonlight.

3 images included. The first two are 6 squadron Hurri IVs with the same drop tank, rocket set up. The final image is of CBI based Hurri IVs.

Dan/Slack

Stratocaster · « **Reply #23 on:** July 09, 2004, 06:29:15 AM »

Its by no mean ugly...... its the most beutiful plane there is!

MiloMorai · « **Reply #24 on:** July 09, 2004, 10:01:14 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by hubsonfire
Any luck on the RPS info? I'd like to know a bit more about them, their usefulness, etc.

From The Complete Encyclopdia of Weapons of WW2 (not that complete;))

British 60lb rocket

usual SOP for Typhoons

"Approach to target was between 6000' and 10,000'. The leader would dive at ~40* to mark the target, he being followed at a simular angle at 400mph or at 30* when a lower speed of ~380mph was indicated. At an altitude of not more than 500' and a distance of 550yds from the target the complete salvo might be fired before the pilot pulled up sharply and took himself out of the radius of action, there being about 5 seconds before shrapnel from the exploding rockets constituted a real danger to the luanching a/c."

Target hit probability was less than 5%. There was a tendency to undershoot and the trajectory drop to be inaccurately estimated.

VooDoo · « **Reply #25 on:** July 10, 2004, 03:41:31 AM »

5% for one salvo vs tank ?

MiloMorai · « **Reply #26 on:** July 10, 2004, 05:16:27 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by VooDoo
5% for one salvo vs tank ?

Yup, and that would be 'pushing' the percentage.

Angus · « **Reply #27 on:** July 10, 2004, 11:22:08 AM »

I remember a case where a P51 pilot spotted a tank-train. He and his mates managed to put holes in the boiler, thereby stopping the train. Rocket carrying Typhoons were called in to finish the job.
Wonder how the hit percentage was there, tanks densely stuffed together on top of rail cars.
As far as he knew, it was a total destruction case.

Urchin · « **Reply #28 on:** July 10, 2004, 11:59:06 AM »

Yea, that'd probably be somewhat different from hitting tanks that were dispersed in the field though.

A tank isn't a very big target when you are zipping along at 300 mph, and those rockets weren't guided like the ones we have today.

Angus · « **Reply #29 on:** July 10, 2004, 05:53:08 PM »

Dispersed n the field, hard to see, and not to mention, Moving, that's pretty tough.
Imagine the effect of anything outside a tank, as so often was the case. Support infantry and such, - yeacch
I am pretty sure that the example above is pretty much sound. Tied down tanks on railcars, standstilll and elevated. They would typically have been shredded with rockets and/or tumbled on top.